Jimmie Hampton, 84, and her grandson, Rodney Hampton, 58, have been identified as the people who died in a housefire early Monday morning on East Strother Avenue, the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office said on Tuesday.

According to Fresno Fire Department Chief Billy Alcorn, firefighters responded to the blaze at about 6:49 a.m., five minutes after neighbors reported hearing an alarm and seeing smoke from the house at 23 E. Strother Ave near Thorne Avenue in southwest Fresno.

Told by neighbors that an elderly woman was inside the home, “an offensive fire attack” was initiated, Alcorn said. “During the search, fire crews discovered two residents deceased in a back bedroom.”

The chief added that crews brought the fire under control about 10 minutes after arriving.

Investigators are trying to figure out how the fire started. Anyone with information about this fire is asked to contact investigators at (559) 621-2776.

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